Fifteen Dimensions of Health among Community-Dwelling Older Singaporeans

Table 2

Unadjusted and adjusted odd ratios for positive and negative self-rated health among older adults.

Variables	Unadjusted odds ratios (95% CI) (𝑛=4489)^a		Adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) 𝑁=4211
	Positive^b versus average self-rated health	Negative^c versus average self-rated health	Positive^b versus average self-rated health	Negative^c versus average self-rated health
Sociodemographic
Age 65–74 versus 60–64	1.0 (0.9–1.1)	1.4 (1.1–1.8)	1.2 (1.0–1.4)	0.9 (0.7–1.2)
75 and above versus 60–64	0.7 (0.6–0.9)	1.9 (1.5–2.4)	1.1 (0.9–1.4)	0.9 (0.6–1.3)
Gender Females versus Males	3.6 (3.2–4.1)	1.2 (1.0–1.5)	4.7 (3.9–5.6)	0.6 (0.4–0.8)
Ethnicity Malay versus Chinese	0.6 (0.5–0.8)	0.7 (0.5–0.9)	0.6 (0.5–0.8)	0.5 (0.3–0.8)
Indians versus Chinese	0.5 (0.4–0.6)	0.6 (0.4–0.8)	0.6 (0.5–0.9)	0.5 (0.3–0.7)
Educational status Primary versus none	0.8 (0.7–1.0)	0.9 (0.7–1.1)	1.1 (0.9–1.3)	1.2 (0.9–1.6)
Secondary versus none	0.9 (0.7–1.0)	0.6 (0.5–0.8)	1.2 (1.0–1.5)	1.0 (0.7–1.4)
Vocational/junior college/polytechnic/university and above versus none	1.0 (0.8–1.2)	0.3 (0.2–0.5)	1.5 (1.1–2.0)	0.5 (0.3–0.9)
Housing type 1-2 room public housing versus 4-5 room	1.0 (0.7–1.2)	1.6 (1.1–2.2)	1.5 (1.1–2.1)	1.2 (0.8–1.9)
public/private3 room public housing versus 4-5 room public/private	1.0 (0.9–1.2)	1.2 (1.0–1.5)	1.1 (1.0–1.4)	1.2 (0.9–1.5)
Marital status Widowed versus married	1.5 (1.3–1.7)	1.2 (1.0–1.5)	1.2 (1.0–1.4)	0.7 (0.5–1.0)
Separated/divorced versus married	2.2 (1.5–3.2)	2.5 (1.5–4.1)	1.9 (1.2–2.9)	2.2 (1.2–4.0)
Never married versus married	1.7 (1.3–2.3)	1.8 (1.2–2.6)	1.2 (0.8–1.7)	1.5 (0.9–2.5)
Health dimensions
Independent in activities of daily living	2.1 (1.5–2.9)	0.2 (0.1–0.2)	1.4 (0.8–2.2)	0.6 (0.4–1.0)
Independent in instrumental activities of daily living	1.5 (1.1–1.9)	0.2 (0.1–0.2)	1.1 (0.8–1.7)	0.5 (0.3–0.7)
Independent in mobility	1.1 (0.9–1.2)	0.2 (0.2–0.3)	1.3 (1.1–1.6)	0.3 (0.2–0.4)
No difficulty in hearing	2.8 (2.2–3.6)	0.4 (0.3–0.5)	1.5 (1.2–2.1)	0.8 (0.6–1.0)
No difficulty in vision	2.9 (2.4–3.5)	0.3 (0.3–0.4)	2.7 (2.1–3.4)	0.5 (0.4–0.6)
No major physical illness	2.1 (1.8–2.4)	0.3 (0.2–0.4)	1.9 (1.6–2.3)	0.4 (0.3–0.4)
Free from pain	3.2 (2.4–4.2)	0.3 (0.2–0.3)	3.3 (2.4–4.6)	0.5 (0.4–0.7)
Restful sleep	1.2 (1.0–1.3)	1.1 (0.9–1.3)	1.4 (1.2–1.6)	1.2 (0.9–1.5)
Strong biting/chewing ability	2.1 (1.7–2.6)	0.6 (0.4–0.7)	1.4 (1.1–1.8)	1.4 (1.0–2.0)
Free from depressive symptoms	2.2 (1.8–2.7)	0.3 (0.3–0.4)	1.6 (1.3–2.1)	0.7 (0.5–0.9)
Strong personal mastery	2.0 (1.7–2.3)	0.4 (0.4–0.5)	1.8 (1.5–2.2)	0.7 (0.5–0.9)
Participation in social activities	1.4 (1.2–1.7)	0.5 (0.4–0.7)	1.0 (0.9–1.3)	0.9 (0.7–1.2)
Strong social networks	1.1 (0.9–1.2)	0.7 (0.6–0.8)	1.0 ( 0.8–1.2)	1.0 (0.8–1.3)
Perceived financial adequacy	3.7 (3.0–4.5)	0.5 (0.4–0.6)	2.2 (1.8–2.8)	0.6 (0.4–0.8)

^a𝑛 for each odds ratio may vary due to variable number of missing values.
^bPositive self-rated health includes those who respond “very healthy” or “healthier than average”.
^cNegative self-rated health includes those who respond “somewhat unhealthy” or “very unhealthy”.